


His Mermaid and I

by pusa_is_me (kimpotato)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Mermaids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:01:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29256363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimpotato/pseuds/pusa_is_me
Summary: In the middle of the garden was a huge pond, and in the middle of the pond, Shino saw — and he had to take out his sunglasses, wipe them against his shirt, and put them back on, just in case he was seeing things — a pair of dark pink, glittery fins.
Relationships: Aburame Shino & Tenten, Hyuuga Neji/Tenten
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A thank-you gift to all the lovely people who supports Talk in Corners.
> 
> A two-parter story, circa 2010.

**Opening Song: “Part of Your World” from** **_The Little Mermaid_ ** **OST**

i.

He was snooping around his old friend’s “backyard” — that was the only reason Shino found out about the Hyuuga cousins’ little secret.

Hinata had invited him over for a light afternoon snack, after they accidentally bumped into each other in the supermarket, three years after they graduated from college — he and she and their dog lover friend Kiba, who had migrated to the States the week after they got their diplomas. 

Shino knew Hinata was merely being polite, because even during their college years she had been closer to Kiba and only tolerated him because he was the dog-boy’s best friend. But the Hyuugas boasted a huge greenhouse-slash-butterfly farm, and Shino had really wanted to check out their new specimens of larvae and other creepy crawlies. That was why when Hinata asked him if he wanted to drop by that afternoon for a cup of tea, to catch up — maybe he has news about Kiba? She had been rather enamored with the guy back when they were younger — he didn’t hesitate and replied in the affirmative.

Three hours later he was shown inside the house, and the butler Maito Gai — how posh could the Hyuugas be, to have their own butler — asked him to wait in the parlor while he informed Hinata of his arrival.

But Shino didn’t want to hang around the empty parlor a second longer. The butterflies were waiting for him, and he didn’t think Hinata would mind if he went right ahead and took a peek. Besides, he already knew the location of the farm, having been there on a few occasions when the female Hyuuga invited him and Kiba over for group study sessions.

As it turned out, Shino did _not_ know where the farm was, or if he did, he was most certainly not aware that it had been relocated. After ten turns on what appeared to be the same hallway, he had to admit to himself, albeit grudgingly, that he was indeed _lost_.

To save face — not that anyone would know anyway — he continued walking in circles, hoping to see a passage leading to the greenhouse, or even back to the parlor where he was instructed to wait in the first place. 

Accidentally finding a new corridor to get lost in, he quickly turned left, then right, and that was when he heard it — a soft splash, followed by a soft giggle that was distinctively female (and most definitely not Hinata).

Curiosity got the better of him — he was lost anyway, and maybe this person could point him to the right direction. Shino peeked into what appeared to be a small garden, not entirely different from the butterfly farm he was looking for, except that the place was not teeming with, well, butterflies.

Instead, the floor was covered with sand and corals and plants often found only on small islands — ferns and small shrubs and low grass. In the middle of the garden was a huge pond, and in the middle of the pond, Shino saw — and he had to take out his sunglasses, wipe them against his shirt, and put them back on, just in case he was seeing things — a pair of dark pink, glittery _fins_.

Now fins were nothing out of the ordinary — Shino liked steamed tuna, for one — unless they were connected to a slim waist instead of a scaly body, and said waist was further connected to a pair of lithe arms, smooth neck, and the prettiest face he had ever set his eyes on.

Shino stood, mouth agape, as the _thing_ continued to swim happily in the pond, flipping its fins this way and that, unmindful of his presence until a few minutes later. When it noticed his presence, the creature suddenly stopped mid-backflip to stare unabashedly at him.

“Oh,” it said, shocked for a split second, before smiling at him. “ _Kumusta?”_

Shino blinked. What?

“Oh, sorry,” the smiling creature chuckled. “I keep forgetting people here don’t understand my language. Hello there. Who are you?”

“What are you?” Shino blurted out instead. And then, to cover up his uneasiness, he continued, “Why did I ask? Because you are most definitely not human.”

The creature giggled before tossing its hair back, brown locks that covered its body from the shoulders down to the waist. Shino was relieved that it was wearing what appeared to be a pair of, were those giant clams?, to cover its, err, assets. “Of course not. I’m a mermaid!”

And just like that, Shino’s life was never the same again.

ii.

When Hinata found him half an hour later, Shino had both legs submerged in water, and the mermaid — he learned that her name was Tenten — was leaning on the edge beside him, eager to listen to his stories about the different kinds of bugs he had collected during his last trip to Mt. Fuji.

The Hyuuga lady looked panicked, darting her eyes from Tenten to Shino, as if she were unsure whether to shoo Shino away or explain the presence of the strange girl in their house.

“Hinata!” Tenten squealed, leaving Shino’s side and swimming to where the Hyuuga was standing. “I met a new friend! This is Shino!”

“Shino-kun,” Hinata murmured nervously. “You shouldn’t be here. Nii-san will be back any minute.”

The mermaid merely pouted. “Why not? Kuya Neji never lets me out anyway.”

“But Tenten-san . . .”

“No!” Tenten huffed, crossing her arms against her ample chest. “Kuya Neji can sulk and glare for all I care. I want Shino to stay. He’s been telling me about all these interesting things called centipedes!”

Shino had no time to wonder why Hinata looked so worried, because the next minute, a cold baritone broke through the women’s exchange.

“What is going on here?”

Three pairs of eyes focused on the newcomer, a handsome twenty-something man in a business suit, who was glaring daggers at the only other man in the room. “Why are you here, Aburame?”

“Hyuuga,” Shino greeted in response, noting that the once-stoic protégé in their university was definitely stoic still. “Your cousin invited me for tea.”

“B-but I didn’t tell him a-about Tenten-san!” Hinata trembled, lifting her palms as if to defend herself. “I swear, Nii-san!”

“Kuya Neji!” Tenten beamed, oblivious to the tension between the two men. “You’re back! Did you get me something nice, like you promised? Did you, did you?”

Shino noticed how the usually cold and stern Hyuuga’s eyes softened a little when the mermaid addressed him, but then promptly hardened again when they shifted back to him. “Hinata, please take your guest to the receiving area. I will join you shortly.”

“But Shino and I are still talking!” It was the mermaid, pouting once again.

“Don’t you want to see what I brought you?” Shino had the distinct feeling Neji was merely trying to distract Tenten, and wondered if it would actually work.

The mermaid looked conflicted for a second, but only for a second. “Fine,” she muttered, before swimming to where Shino was still sitting, grabbing his hand — the Aburame immediately felt a killing intent emanating from the doorway, obviously directed at him — and making him swear to visit her again sometime soon. He had a story to finish, after all!

As Shino followed a visibly trembling Hinata out of the room, he glanced back, only to find Neji, with his coat now off, kneeling in front of the mermaid and handing her a trinket of some kind. Tenten squealed and promptly wrapped her arms around the young man.

Shino turned his head away just in time to hear a distinct splash, and he hid a smirk behind a cough as he imagined a very dignified Neji falling down the pond, after the mermaid had unintentionally pulled him in.

iii.

“You can’t tell anyone about this.” It sounded more like a threat than a suggestion, but Shino wasn’t intimidated by the older Hyuuga’s presence.

“Where did she come from?” he asked instead. “Why did I ask? Because she obviously does not belong in that pond.”

The patented Hyuuga glare did not work, but Neji apparently did not care. “That’s none of your business, Aburame.”

A series of questions and answers were fired back and forth then, in between sips of tea and Hinata’s soft nibbling of crackers.

“And how long do you plan on keeping her?”

“We’re not keeping her against her will.”

“But what if she doesn’t want to stay here anymore?”

“We will let her go once she’s strong enough.”

“And when might that be?”

“That’s none of your business, Aburame.”

“Oh look, we’re out of crackers! Let me get some more!” Hinata clapped, picking up the empty plate too enthusiastically to be genuine, before scampering out from the room, leaving the two men to glare at each other quietly.

iv.

“I missed the ocean!” Tenten squealed as gentle waves splashed over her fins, one afternoon when Shino snuck in while Neji and Hinata were out, to take the mermaid to the beach directly overlooking the Hyuuga mansion.

How he passed the observant eyes of Maito Gai he couldn’t explain, but he did not bother dwelling on his good luck, if it meant that he could see how ecstatic Tenten looked that very moment.

“Do you not want to go back? Because your family must be looking for you,” the insect enthusiast asked, silently promising himself that he would help Tenten escape Neji’s hold the second she confirms that she was indeed being held against her will.

But the mermaid shook her head and looked longingly at the ocean. “I don’t have a family anymore.”

Shino stopped from picking a straggling crablet and fixed concerned eyes on her. “How come?” he asked, carefully, lest he was treading on sensitive ground.

“Bad people took them away,” Tenten murmured, before her face brightened up a notch, though it did not entirely lose its dimness. “But Kuya Neji made it all better, yes he did.”

v.

“Aburame!”

To say that Neji’s voice was filled with anger was an understatement. He charged at them, a nervous Hinata in tow, and promptly shoved Shino away, before kneeling down a very shocked Tenten.

The insect lover fell down the sandy shore, too surprised to make a countermove.

“Tenten!” the furious but worried Hyuuga exclaimed, for once losing his cool that made him infamous during his stay in the university. “Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? What did this fiend do to you?”

Tenten, after the initial surprise, burst out laughing. “I’m fine, Kuya Neji! Shino just took me to see the ocean. I needed the fresh air anyway.”

Neji apparently was not convinced, nor did he care for Tenten’s attempt to save Shino’s well-being. “Never leave the house again! Especially when I’m not there!”

“But Kuya Ne —”

“That’s final!” And then he picked her up, bridal style, and stomped back to the confines of their home.

A few seconds of silence, and then Hinata knelt down beside the now-soaked Aburame and smiled sadly. “You shouldn’t have done that, Shino-kun.”

vi.

“Nii-san is very protective of Tenten-san,” Hinata began, handing Shino a fluffy blue towel, her eyes averted as the Aburame finished washing off his legs in one of the mansion’s many bathrooms. “He was the one who saved her from being killed, after all.”

When the nosey animal lover turned questioning eyes at the younger Hyuuga, Hinata sighed and continued her story. “Tenten-san’s family got caught in the nets of one of the illegal fishing boats poaching near our place. Neji-nii came across them on his way back from driving his boat. Tenten-san’s mother and brother were already dead when Nii-san spotted them, and it was only because of his quick thinking that Tenten-san is even alive.”

The young Hyuuga smiled sadly. “After that incident, Nii-san took Tenten-san home to take care of her injuries, and he promised to protect her no matter what. He . . . he has grown attached to her, I’m afraid. I don’t know if he would, or could, let her go.”

“But she deserves to be in the ocean,” Shino replied stubbornly, understanding Neji’s fear, but adamant still. “Because that is where she belongs.”

“I know.” Hinata’s sad smile never left her pretty face. “I think Neji-nii knows that, too. But he won’t do it. Not until he’s sure Tenten-san is safe for sure.”

vii.

“I’m sorry, Kuya Neji.”

Shino stood outside Tenten’s living quarters and eavesdropped on the two friends. He didn’t mean to; he just wanted to check on Tenten to make sure she was okay. When he heard the two talking in hushed voices, Shino found out he could not walk away, or make his presence known.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Neji’s tone was very gentle, and Shino was surprised that the Hyuuga was actually capable of feelings akin to tenderness. 

“I know. I just miss the ocean, that’s all.”

Tenten was apologetic, and Shino heard Neji sigh before there was a soft splash. The Aburame risked a peek in the room, only to find the other man was in the pond, running a hand across the mermaid’s hair. Shino felt he was violating an intimate moment, something sacred, but he could not seem to take his eyes off of them.

“Do you want to leave already?” Neji murmured, pulling his hand away and letting his arm fall to his side. “Do you think you’re ready?”

“I . . . don’t know.” The hesitation in Tenten’s voice was palpable. Shino was not sure if she didn’t want to leave because she was scared of the dangers lurking in the ocean, or if she was afraid of leaving Neji behind.

Shino averted his eyes when he saw Neji move to cup the mermaid’s chin with his hand. 

“Then I can’t let you go yet.”

**Closing Song: “The Minnow & the Trout” by A Fine Frenzy**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Kumusta - a Filipino word that translates to "How are you?"  
> Kuya - older brother


	2. Chapter 2

**Opening Song: “You Are Free” by Mates of State**

i.

Three days later, Neji’s worst nightmare came true.

A group of poachers, the very same group that killed Tenten’s family more than half a year ago, broke into the Hyuuga mansion while Neji was at work, intent on kidnapping the prized mermaid who’d escaped their grasp the first time around.

They had been searching for her for quite some time, and finally discovered her whereabouts when Shino, bless his well-meaning but stupid soul, took Tenten out for some fresh air, the one day the poachers passed by the Hyuuga’s private land, after a hard — and illegal — day’s work.

After Hinata’s frantic call, it took Neji thirty minutes to rush from his office to the mansion — a feat, considering that the Hyuuga Corporation was well over an hour’s drive away on a good day — and arrived just in time to find Maito Gai, their ever-reliable butler, deliver the finishing blow to the last of the poachers. Hinata, brave, sweet little Hinata, was standing in front of a terrified Tenten, a golf club in her shaking arms. Both women were at the farthest corner of the pond, while Gai beat up the criminals for scaring his youthful charges.

“Kuya Neji!” Tenten sobbed when the older Hyuuga came into view, but remained cowering behind Hinata, who looked distressed and relieved at the same time. 

Neji was in the pond with them in a flash, throwing arms around both women, the two people he considered the most important in his life. He asked — demanded — that they tell him if they were hurt, and  _ what did those bastards do to you?! _

Mermaid and human hugged him back, both sobbing and telling him how frightened they were,  _ they had weapons, Kuya Neji!  _ and  _ I thought they were going to take Tenten-san away! _ , until Maito Gai, with teeth pinging brightly, walked over and informed them that he had tied up all the intruders, and that the police were on their way at that very minute.

“Thank you, Gai,” Neji responded, before reminding the butler that the police must not find out about Tenten’s existence. Said butler nodded in agreement and flashed a thumbs-up, before bouncing back to where the criminals were, dragging them by the scruffs of their neck. Neji was not sure how the butler was able to drag all five men in one go, but Gai did have insane strength even before he was employed by the Hyuugas. He had said something about wearing spandex underneath his clothes to help with his endurance and agility — Neji didn’t really pay attention to his butler’s explanation before.

ii.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Neji asked for the third time, when the police had left, thinking the poachers were common thieves, out to rob the Hyuugas their vast riches. Hinata had retired to her room for the night, exhausted no doubt by the commotion that happened earlier that day. Neji opted to stay with the mermaid for a little longer, making sure she’d be okay and not too shaken up by the experience.

“I’ll be fine, Kuya Neji,” Tenten answered, except that her voice lacked its usual mirth, and Neji could not see the usual twinkle in her eyes.

“Tenten,” the Hyuuga replied, reaching out for the mermaid’s right hand to enclose it in his own. “I promise this will never happen again.”

The brunette looked up the ceiling made of glass. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t agreed to go with Shino outside, they would have never found me. I’m so sorry, Kuya Neji.”

Neji clenched his fist and shook his head. “None of this is your fault,” he assured her, his hold on her hand tightening, but not enough to hurt. “You need not blame yourself for what happened.”

The mermaid turned brown eyes to her savior and looked at him thoughtfully for a while. “Kuya Neji?” A pause, in which Neji took the time to nod his head, indicating that he was listening to her. 

“I think I’m ready now.”

iii.

Shino was there the next day, having heard from Hinata what had happened, and worried about Tenten’s condition.

He was welcomed by Maito Gai and showed into the parlor, where he was offered some  youthful tea and dynamic crackers, and then praised for his youthful concern for their beautiful blossom and pretty petunia. 

Five minutes later, a hostile Neji appeared, telling him in not so many words that if it were up to him, he’d make sure Shino could never take another step in their house. But as it was, the bug aficionado was considered a friend by both his cousin and Tenten, so Neji would tolerate his existence in the meantime.

He did warn Shino though that if anything were to happen to either Tenten or Hinata because of his nosiness, he would suffer gravely as a consequence.

Shino muttered a quiet  _ Aa,  _ finished the rest of his youthful tea, and followed Neji to the pond.

iv.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Neji asked, as he and Hinata and Shino stood at the shore of a deserted island, while a somber Tenten sat on the warm sand, waves lapping at her fins. They were a couple of miles out in the Pacific Ocean, far enough that no poachers would spot them, but near enough that Neji’s yacht could come back without running low on fuel. 

The mermaid nodded solemnly, and tried to smile and reassure the group that yes, she was ready, ready to go back to the ocean, to face her fears and live her life free from her past, to  _ finally go home. _

“If this is about what happened last week, I told you it’s not your fault,” Neji said, wishing, hoping, that the mermaid would change her mind. He knew he was being selfish, wanting to keep Tenten for as long as he could. But he was worried and had grown attached to her and  _ damn it,  _ he cared for her more than he was supposed to.

The mermaid shook her head and reached out an arm. “I can’t keep on hiding in your house, Kuya Neji. I can’t keep relying on you and Hinata and Tito Gai to protect me. Being attacked by the poachers made me realize that. I need to . . . I need to move on with my life, Kuya Neji. I need to face my fears and grow up.”

She then turned to Shino, silent, stoic Shino, and gave him a friendly smile, the same one she gave him the first time they met. “Thank you for all your wonderful stories, Shino,” she said, reaching for him with her other hand. They held each other for a few seconds — too long, Neji mused darkly, making him tighten his hold onto Tenten’s other hand just a little bit — before Tenten continued, “I hope I can listen to more of your commentaries about the different kinds of beetles and butterflies.”

“You will,” Shino answered, more solemn than he usually was, “because we will see each other again. I promise you that.”

The mermaid grinned and let go of Shino’s hand, but not before squeezing it in a silent thank you.

“And Hinata,” she continued, and suddenly the younger Hyuuga was sobbing, as she wrapped her arms around her friend, stuttering and crying about how much she was going to miss her, how thankful she was that they became friends, and she would never forget her,  _ never. _

“Of course,” Tenten answered, returning her embrace. “The next time we see each other, you better have made some development over your relationship with that Kiba person, okay?”

Hinata blushed beet red, while Shino coughed silently from behind.

And suddenly it was Neji’s turn, and Tenten gave him the warmest smile he had ever seen, and it was enough to make him want to convince her to stay. But Tenten wanted her freedom, and he was going to give it to her. Because if he didn’t, well, wouldn’t that make him no better than those poachers who wanted to get their hands on her?

“Promise me you’ll visit me?” she asked, hopeful. Neji nodded, clutching both her hands and pressing it against his chest. “I’ll come by once a month, right here, and wait for you,” he promised, before Tenten threw her arms around him, sobbing and telling him she would miss him the most, that she was very grateful that he saved her life, and that she would never forget him, all the things he did for her.

Then she swam away, turning every once in a while to wave at them, before she disappeared into the horizon. Neji was sure his heart disappeared right along with her.

v.

The first month, Neji found Tenten waiting for him on the shore, hair adorned with turquoise seashells, a hyperactive merman beside her. Something ugly stirred in Neji’s heart, but he quickly quelled it, as Gai tied the yacht against a nearby rock, and Hinata and Shino hopped down the boat, the former running toward the mermaid, throwing her body onto Tenten’s.

“Everyone, this is Lee!” Tenten grinned as she introduced her companion. “He’s my cousin! We found each other when I was trying to go back home!”

Neji found himself sighing a quiet sigh of relief, before nodding his acknowledgement to the merman, who, upon closer inspection, looked suspiciously like their butler. It didn’t help that Gai seemed immediately taken by him, and within minutes the two were engaged in a serious conversation that centered around rainbow-scaled fishes and seahorses during spring.

Neji shook his head in disbelief, before he noticed that Shino was hogging all of Tenten’s attention with a detailed description of a king beetle. Neji gave them an additional five minutes before he promptly cut in and pushed Shino away from view.

vi.

The third month, Neji came alone, and Lee was not with Tenten either. It was the first time he and the mermaid found any time alone, and Neji cherished every second of it, grateful that for once, he could have Tenten all for himself.

“Is it everything you remembered?” he asked, absentmindedly wrapping a lock of Tenten’s hair around his index finger. “The ocean.”

“Mmh,” the mermaid murmured, leaning in so that her back rested against Neji’s chest. “It’s beautiful as ever.”

They stayed quiet for a couple of minutes, watching wave upon wave crash into the sandy shore, comfortable in each other’s presence, knowing all too well that sunset was coming soon enough, and they would have to be apart once again.

And then, “I’ve missed you.”

Tenten giggled and snuggled closer. “You’re getting soft, Kuya Neji,” she teased, but quietly wrapped her arms around his torso before he had the chance to feel embarrassed from his sudden drop of character.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

vii.

Six months later, Tenten told him that she found a way to become human, at least temporarily — she heard of rumors about a magical seashell in the middle of the Atlantic that could do wonders — but it would require a procedure she was not sure she was ready to take.

“You shouldn’t do anything that would endanger you,” Neji said, holding her tighter in his arms when the mermaid tried to wiggle free.

“But wouldn’t it be nice to have legs, even for a while?” Tenten pouted, squirming. “I could go to the places you and Hinata and Shino have kept talking about.”

“I’d rather you remain safe,” Neji answered, burying his face in her hair. “It doesn’t matter if you have legs or fins. You’ll still be special to me all the same.”

“That’s exactly why I need to do this, Kuya Neji.”

viii.

Tenten did not come on the appointed day on the seventh month, nor on the eighth. Still Neji kept visiting, sometimes with Hinata, sometimes by himself. But neither the feisty mermaid nor her eccentric merman cousin appeared, and after one and a half years, Hinata approached him as he was loading his equipment in the yacht and told him, quietly, that perhaps, just perhaps, it was time to move on. 

Neji left his cousin standing at the dock after ten minutes, and returned home half a day later, with nothing to show for his effort, except for a heavy heart.

ix.

“Why do you not give up?” Shino asked him one day, when the bug lover spotted him heading toward the dock, no doubt planning to go to the island once again. The two had developed a silent understanding long past, stemming from their obvious affection for the two women in their lives. “Because it is obvious that she has moved on.”

Neji turned indifferent eyes at his unwelcome guest, and answered, “Because I’m sure she hasn’t.”

x.

“Lovely day for fishing, don’t you think?”

Neji froze in mid-step, arms suspended in midair, rope slipping past sturdy fingers. Slowly turning around, he saw her — all sparkly brown eyes and bright grin — wearing a sunflower-printed dress, hair tied in two buns, a seashell-pendant necklace hanging around her neck.

Two years later, and there stood Tenten, glittery fins replaced with a pair of toned legs, strapped in leather sandals that suspiciously looked like Hinata’s.

Neji found himself running,  _ running,  _ until Tenten was in his arms and she was laughing, her voice stirring something in his heart, returning a feeling he thought he had lost forever.

“Kumusta, Kuya Neji?” came the chirpy greeting, which Neji immediately answered with a warm and long overdue kiss.

Finally, his mermaid has found her way home.

  
**Closing Song: “Kiss the Girl” from** **_The Little Mermaid_ ** **OST**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Tito - uncle


End file.
